GeneWatch PR: GeneWatch UK Challenges the Commercialisation of UK's First GM Crop at Hearing in Manchester

Embargoed until 00.01 hours Monday 29th April 2002

A Public Hearing into the Government's decision to include the first GM crop
on the list of seeds that can be sold to farmers re-opens in Manchester today.
This follows an 18 month adjournment because of questions about whether the
data supplied by Aventis had been conducted independently as required by the
regulations. GeneWatch UK will give evidence to the hearing challenging the
Government's decision to add the GM maize variety Chardon LL to the national
seed list.

Chardon LL is a variety of genetically modified (GM) fodder maize produced
by the multinational agrochemical company Aventis. It has been modified to be
tolerant to the herbicide glufosinate ammonium also made by Aventis and sold
as Liberty. However during the trials to establish whether the GM crop is of
value to farmers it was never tested in conjunction with the herbicide Liberty
or any other glufosinate based herbicide. GeneWatch believes that the application
of the herbicide could well affect the quantity and quality of the yield.

"The maize has not been tested under the conditions farmers will use it
in," said Dr Sue Mayer, Director of GeneWatch UK. "Farmers buying
the seed may find it is not as good as expected."

"Experiments on the environmental safety of using this GM maize have not
been finished and no proper safety testing for its use as an animal feed has
been done," said Dr Mayer. "It's too soon to say this seed can be
sold to farmers."

Contact:

Dr Sue Mayer on 01298 871898 (office); 07930 308807 (mobile).

Notes for Editors:

The Manchester part of the 'Chardon Hearing' will start on Monday 29th
April at 1.30pm in the UMIST Manchester Conference Centre, Sackville Street,
Manchester.

The Hearing started in London on 2nd October and ran until 3rd November
2000. It was adjourned and re-opens in Manchester on the 29thApril. Daily
transcripts from the hearing can be found at www.defra.gov.uk/planth/pvs/default.htm.

223 people paid £30 each to make written objections to the Government
decision to place Chardon LL onto the National Seed List, of those 67 paid
an additional £60 each to be able to speak at a Hearing.

For more information about the commercialisation of Britain's first GM crop
see the GeneWatch background briefing and evidence to be given to the inquiry
on www.genewatch.org